GRAMMAR: LES ARTICLES

DEFINITE ARTICLE
The French definite article corresponds to "the" in English. The definite article indicates a specific noun.
There are four forms of the French definite article:

1. LE     masculine singular
le livre, le téléphone

2. LA     feminine singular
la chaise, la vie

3. L'     m or f in front of a vowel
l’aubergine, l’amour

4. LES     m or f plural
les livres, les chaises


Which definite article to use depends on three things: the noun's gender, number, and first letter:

• If the noun is plural, use les
• If it's a singular noun starting with a vowel use l'
• If it's singular and starts with a consonant, use le for a masculine noun and la for a feminine noun

 

INDEFINITE ARTICLES
The singular indefinite articles in French correspond to "a," "an," or "one" in English, while the plural corresponds to "some." The indefinite article usually refers to an unspecified person or thing.

1. UN     masculine
un livre, un oiseau

2. UNE     feminine
une chaise, une actrice

3. DES     m or f plural
des livres, des chaises